The Miko and the Hanyou
by Bellflower Miko
Summary: She was an autumn leaf floating to the ground... She had no idea how hard she'd hit it. The year before a miko's death.


A/N: Hi! This is Bellflower Miko, and this is my first fanfiction. I, unlike others, will not ask you to go easy on it. Get your torches and pitchforks, and use the review button. I only ask that you have responses that actually make sense.I'm not sure about the accuracy to the original in this, but hopefully I was close.I love Kikyou, and this is my tribute to her. Do you hate her? I thought so. Honestly, I'll never understand…

Anyhow, here it is!

Disclaimer: I don't own. Blah blah blah.

Thanks to: Lenne for being so nice as to beta for me, and my teacher for forcing me to write this.

**The Miko and the Hanyou**

Once upon a time, a long time ago I was a Shinto priestess. I lived in Feudal Japan on a shrine where Tokyo now is. My village was small, and I only can remember Kaede, my younger sister. The village supplied me with all food and other such human necessities, as they loved me as their beautiful priestess.

Sounds perfect, doesn't it?

The truth was that it was a boring and lonely life, made only worse by the Shikon no Tama.

The Shikon Jewel was my duty. The Jewel is a very powerful artefact, granting its user astounding and terrible power. I had to use all of my miko powers to keep evil demons away from it. You see, the Jewel can only be used when it is tainted with evil. I had to purify the accursed thing every day.

My life was lonely and boring – until InuYasha entered it.

He came on a warm summer day, looking for the Shikon Jewel. Same old thing – shoot and kill the demon. I knew he was there long before I saw him; such are my powers. When he jumped out of the tree he was in, I nearly fainted. He was beautiful; long silver hair to his knees, huge golden eyes, and a perfectly sculpted body. He wore no shoes and a warrior's clothes, blood red with giant pants and a haori. He smirked, and his fangs glimmered in the afternoon light. His lethally sharp claws glinted. But what made me stop were his ears. They were pointy, and sat atop his head twitching. He was half demon, a half-breed.

He was like me…

Doomed to be lonely.

He had been hurt many times before; I could read that in his stubborn eyes.

I knocked my arrow, and shot at him.

I took another arrow, and shot again.

InuYasha was pinned to a tree by his haori, stranded and unable to fight. He would be able to break the arrows and be free as soon as their holy power wore off – perhaps a few hours. I looked at him, many thoughts racing through my mind. Slumping my shoulders slightly, I turned and walked towards the shrine.

"Hey! Get back here!"

I ignored the hanyou's annoyed cries, and returned home.

That night, I barely slept. Who was this boy that wanted to take the Jewel? What exactly had happened to him in the past? Why should I care?

This event reoccurred many times in the next few months. I never said anything, never looked him in the eyes again.

"Why won't you finish me off?!"

Why wouldn't I? He was just another trying to take the Shikon Jewel. Perhaps I pitied him. Perhaps it was something more…

"Kikyou-sama! Kikyou-sama!"

I whirled around. There was a little village girl, Yori. She was panting and looked very worried.

"They're burning the village!"

I ran as fast as my long legs would take me. I smelled the smoke and saw the blaze. A few huts were on fire, and bandits were running around, laughing and taking whatever they could carry. We were by the river, and the fire wouldn't be a problem. The bandits, however… I called all the villagers. The trained men took their swords and other weapons to keep the bandits from taking more. The other villagers took water to the fire. Then, my trained ears heard something.

"Dare you not listen to my orders?!"

"But, chief! I can't do that!"

"Hah! Then you can burn with these huts!'

I heard a horrible screaming. I told Yori, who hadn't left my side, to get some men. I yelled over at Kaede, who was helping to put out the fire, to get a stretcher. I ran towards the awful sound.

Inside a smaller hut was a man. He was totally on fire, along with the house. His screeching was unbearable. He had to be saved, or he would be burned to the bone. I ran into the burning house, grabbed the bandit and pulled him out. With a burst of energy, I flung him over my shoulder and dumped him by the stream. Using my hands, I dumped water on him and patted the fire out, burning myself. His body was mangled, and by the sounds he was making, I must have hurt him by my violent actions. The villagers came and put the man on a stretcher. We took him to the nearest safe shelter we could find – a cave near the village.

For the next few weeks, I took care of the man. His name, as he told me, was Onigumo. He had burns all over his body, and he couldn't move. I remember Kaede didn't like him. She said he asked too many strange questions.

I made a decision as the leaves began to fall. Autumn had always held something special for me. I loved the smell of the dying season, the birth of a new one. The colours always were so beautiful; they were all of my favourites. I suppose the leaves reminded me a bit of myself. Beautiful, with many companions, yet partially dead and somehow lonely.

The previous season began to die. Winter would be soon, and I would have to put all my attention into the village. I had to do this now.

I walked slowly to the tree where I always saw him in the forest. It was near a shallow cliff with a beautiful view and a comfortable grassy clearing. As usual, he was in the tree.

Was he waiting for me?

I fought back a blush, and looked at him. In the eyes. And I spoke.

"Come here and sit with me."

InuYasha looked at me, puzzled. I sat down, and touched the spot beside me. He didn't have much choice. He came and crouched a good three arm-lengths away. He didn't look at me, and I knew he was afraid.

"You're more like me than you'll ever know…"

"InuYasha."

I looked away from the back of his head for a moment.

"Kikyou."

After our confrontation, InuYasha started following me everywhere. I knew he was there because of my miko senses, but I paid more attention to it then I normally would have. I was falling in love.

As soon as I accepted this, my miko powers began to fade, and I became more and more in love. InuYasha and I ate together, walked together, worked together, protected the Jewel together. And finally, in spring, when the first cherry tree blossom bloomed, it happened.

"I love you."

Then everything went wrong.

All winter I had been taking care of the bandit, Onigumo. He would not stop asking me uncomfortable questions, even when I told him that I would like to have some privacy. He was in love with me.

I couldn't let Onigumo fall any more in love, only to have his heart broken. I had to do something.

It was a pretty evening with a splendidly painted sky. InuYasha and I had just finished eating our dinner together outside in our favourite spot, as usual. It was the perfect time.

'InuYasha…"

"What?"

"Would you do anything for me?"

"…Yes…"

"We can use the Shikon no Tama… You could become full human. It would become tainted by your touch, and then you could use it… Then it would be purified completely. It would most likely disappear."

"And what about you?"

"I would become a normal woman. We could live happily together!"

"Tommorow."

I was going to have a happy ending! Just like in the fairytails I told the children!

Well, I've learned that life isn't a fairytale. No one lives happily ever after… and things are much more complicated then that. Good and evil are not black and white. Every priestess should know that, but most did not. I understood life was beautiful and lonely, but I never knew things weren't that easy. I was doomed to find out the hard way.

The next day, I got to our spot early. I had not slept the night before because of my childish excitement. I sat with the Jewel, fidgeting with anxiety. I was finally going to be normal! I was going to be a fairytale princess!

InuYasha came.

I could read his face, even though his bangs covered his eyes. There was something wrong.

"Are you ready?"

He looked up and smirked. He ran towards me like an animal.

The next thing I knew, I was on the ground with the Shikon Jewel out of my reach. My shoulder was bleeding madly.

He stepped on my hand.

Slowly, moving his bare foot back and forth, he said:

"You pitiful fool. Did you really think I would ever become human for you? Heh."

Those three little phrases crushed me, burned me, turned me inside out. I cried.

He bent over and picked up the Jewel. Stomping on my fingers, he said:

"I'll use this to become full demon."

And ran.

I lay there and cried. Feeling my heart turn to ice, I used my anger to get back to the village. I grabbed a bow and arrow. I was ready.

"Kikyou-sama!"

I ignored the villagers. I had to get my revenge.

I knew where he'd be. There was a tree, deep in the forest, that InuYasha would sleep in. He would be there, ready to use the Jewel to become full demon.

I would be there, too, ready to kill him.

I waited at the shrine's edge. I was an excellent shot, and I could hit him from there. With a rush of air, I felt him run by me. He was grinning insanely, ignoring everything but the Shikon no Tama. He jumped towards the tree. I held my arrow ready.

"InuYasha!"

The arrow hit him in the heart, went through him and pierced the tree. He looked at me, with something in his eyes I couldn't read.

"How dare… You wench…"

I took a few steps forward. I wanted to embrace his dead body, to touch him one more time…

I remember villagers and Kaede rush up to me. They said things I couldn't hear. I winced.

"Cremate the Shikon no Tama with my remains… it mustn't fall into the wrong hands again…"

And I died.

I remember my last thought:

InuYasha, I'm going to hell with you.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Please review If anyone is interested, I could continue onto after Kikyou died. But I have a feeling you won't want me to.


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